What national holiday would you start if you could? Chocolate Anything Day? No Stress At All Day? I found a few atypical celebrate/appreciate days that made me chuckle.
I just realized that I missed Bald Eagle Appreciation Days, this past January 21-22 weekend. This morning before work, I rushed to Safeway to pick up majorly-on-sale 69¢ a pound whole chickens—limit 4. When I couldn’t find any whole chickens in the cooler and no sale signs, I tracked down a grocer worker in the dairy section who was wildly cramming yogurt cartons onto the shelf. She paged Fred, the butcher. Uh-oh. I hate bothering those butchers with their mambo knives.
Fred lumbered out of the cold storage area and gave me a cold stare when I asked about the cheap chickens. “That was a three-day sale special this past weekend.” Sigh. Again, I missed the event, or the deal, or the boat. Or, maybe I just missed out on saving two bucks on a scrawny frozen hen.
But hey, I’m on top of this one: January 23-27—Clean Out Your Inbox Week. Great. Should I really confess how many emails I have jammed in my cyber mailbox? Um. 1,345 with 358 unread (I think most of those are ads for 69¢ a pound whole chickens).
The good news is, it is Global Belly Laugh Day. Ha-aaaaaaah! It’s also National Handwriting Analysis Week (January 22-28). Yay! Oh, I can’t read my scrawled notes on how to celebrate this. Sigh. Maybe I can participate in the International Hoof Care Week going on right now. One never knows how many Siberian musk ox or Mongolian yaks need a good mani-pedi.
Really ancient President, er, King Solomon advised us that “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything . . . (Ecclesiastes 3:1, The Message). So instead of belittling myself for missing a salute to the bald eagles or missing the poultry purchase pandemonium, I am choosing to cut my losses and look ahead. I’m sure you are learning to make these same kind of brave choices.
And look, there is something we can celebrate next week (unless of course you have certain dietary restrictions). January 29—February 4 is Meat Week. I’m there! Look out you full-priced whole chickens. There is a right time for everything.
I love how the Lord directs you to spiritual truths in everyday life from chickens to dog walking and beyond. The combination of personal, powerful and poignant stirs me every time.
Oh, Judy, thank you for your kind words. I tell ya, I keep running into such everyday situations that spark my personal life application. Never a dull day. Earlier on my dog walk, one teen boy in the neighborhood who adored Logan came running out of his house with his wee puppy. A couple weeks ago, this family had to put down their beloved doggie and Bryce was so sad. I love that he flagged Ayrabelle and me down to show us this new puppy gift. Grief to glee!